Written for SessKag monthly prompts on tumblr. May's prompt: Deal
Summary: In order to get what he desires, Sesshomaru must make Kagome fall in love with him. Clumsily attempting several human courting rituals, he gets a little more than he bargained for.
Kagome was certain she was about to burn into a little pile of ash and smoke, the blush that had started on her cheeks glowing and spreading so hot it consumed her.
She sat, rigid, stiff, shocked, as Sesshomaru sat across from her, waiting for her to acknowledge what he'd just said.
"Uh… come again?" She squeaked, and Sesshomaru shifted uncomfortably, the lines of his face tightening in the barest, subtlest sign of agitation she'd ever seen.
"This one knows you heard him, miko."
"Yes, yes I heard." She agreed, looking away from him for a moment, taking a few breaths to try and clear the spinning in her head. "But I certainly don't understand."
He sighed, another bare gesture, a ghost of a breath just barely brushing passed his lips, blink-and-you-miss-it in its brevity and her eyes widened in shock at how much he was showing to her.
"I am here to make a deal. With you. It is time I take a mate. None of the prospects my mother has shoved my way are suitable. I have done much research, and I believe any children I sure upon you will inherit both my demonic abilities and your powers as a priestess. Even if they will be hanyo, I cannot deny the advantage of holding such a duality of powers. In return for being my mate, ruling as Western Lady and bearing me these pups of such unique strength, you will have every luxury you can imagine, the respect afforded to every Lady, and my protection for the rest of our existence."
She stared, wide eyed and slack jawed, and she couldn't decide if her shock was at what he'd said, or that he'd used so many words to say it.
'I've never heard him talk so much at once!'
She clicked her jaw closed, blinking several times, wondering if this was all some hallucination or a mirage. It was a little unseasonably warm for this part of spring.
"I….. I'm flattered? But, what does it mean to be your mate? Is that just a wife?"
"No. We would be bound down to the most basic parts of the soul. You would live at my side through all the centuries."
His delivery was succinct, clinical, the most distant proposal in all of history.
"Oh. That seems… even more drastic than just asking me to marry you. Again, I'm very flattered Sesshomaru-sama. And also in disbelief that this is happening at all. But, I really must decline your offer. I'm so sorry."
His eyes widened marginally, and he leaned back just a hair, searching her face.
"You are…. Denying me? You do not find me to be a suitable match? Have I not proven my strength? My ability to provide? Have I not offered enough in payment?"
"Oh! Oh no, that's not it at all! Im certain I'd be very safe and provided for, that's just… not all that I'm looking for…."
"What is it you look for?"
He leaned forward, and if she weren't certain she was going insane she'd say he looked almost eager.
"Well…. Love." She said with a shrug, and it was his turn to blink in surprise.
"Love?"
"Yes. I just want someone who will love and respect me."
He tilted his head up, looking down his nose at her.
'Ah, there's the Sesshomaru-sama I know.'
"And where do you suppose you will find such?"
"I guess like anyone else," she replied easily, relaxing her posture as the subject of becoming his fell further into the past. "I'll just get to know someone and, over time, if we fall in love, we'll build a life together."
"Get to know... This is how humans do things?"
"Some of them."
He looked away, down at the grass, and though no part of his face changed she could almost see his brain working to integrate the things she'd said.
Finally he met her eyes again, once again all formality and regality as he tilted his head toward her.
"Thank you miko, this has been most educational."
They stood, and Kagome waved happily as he turned and disappeared into the trees.
The next day, when he could not smell the scent of young miko in the vicinity of the village, Sesshomaru cornered a monk.
"You will tell this Sesshomaru how humans 'get to know' with one another."
Miroku's eyes grew comically large for a moment before he lassoed his shock and grinned lasciviously.
"Oh? Has the great and terrible Sesshomaru-sama fallen to the charms of a human woman?" He waggled his brows suggestively, and Sesshomaru growled in warning.
"No, monk. This one seeks the hand of the Miko Kagome. My heirs with her would possess a power unlike any beings in existence, but she denies me for want of… love. I will make her fall in love with me and you will tell me how."
"Ah, that is a conundrum." Miroku replied, rubbing his chin. "It's also very 'Kagome' to give up riches for love. However I'm not sure my brand of 'getting to know' will work on someone like Kagome-sama, I'm afraid."
Sesshomaru lifted his claws, crackled his knuckles, summoned his poison until they glowed a menacing green.
"You will assist me, monk."
Miroku gulped and nodded frantically.
"Of course! Anything for you Sesshomaru-sama! Before my bachelor's life ended I had much success with the ladies. Let me show you my favorite tactic."
Standing in the middle of a flower field, Kagome watched the village children run and play, laughing at their antics and doling out thanks and praise for every single flower picked and thrust into her hands. She noticed when they all paused and stared warily. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Sesshomaru, greeting him warmly, hoping to show the children he was not to he feared. Slowly they began their games again, and she turned her attention to her new visitor.
"Hello Sesshomaru-sama! Is there something I can help you with?" She smiled brightly, pleased to not feel awkward after the disaster meeting they'd had the day before. She still couldn't believe what he'd asked of her.
But then he reached forward, gently grabbed her hand, held it between both of his own, stared deeply into her eyes, his own fiery and intense. It stole her breath, stopped her world. He opened his mouth and she stood ready to hang on his every word.
"Will you bear my child?"
Like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, that damningly familiar phrase yanked her out of her stupor and she pried herself hand away from him.
"I don't know what your deal is Sesshomaru, but if I were you, I'd never ask Miroku for advice ever again." She said in a huff, and then turned her back on him, crossing her arms over her chest and ignoring him in favor of watching the children again.
A few moments later he stalked off and she breathed a sigh of relief.
She pressed a hand over her rapidly beating heart and determined to have a very harsh word with a certain monk.
Two days later when his anger had abated enough to ensure he wouldn't do anything regretful, Sesshomaru found his brother in a tree. One firm, well placed kick on the trunk and then his brother was out of the tree and spluttering on the ground.
"OI BASTARD! What the hell did you do that for?!"
Swallowing back the bile building in his throat at what he was about to verbalize, Sesshomaru took in a deep, calming breath. There was no shame in asking for assistance from allies when waging war, and his brother had proven to be an adequate ally already.
"I… require your assistance."
Inuyasha blinked and then cocked a brow.
"With?"
"With "getting to know" with the miko."
Inuyasha stared blankly at him for several silent seconds and then burst out in howling laughter.
"You want to what with who?! Oh you poor, stupid bastard"
At the very end of his patience, Sesshomaru lashed out with his poison whip, striking his brother directly in the ass. He yelped and leapt up from the ground.
Sesshomaru sniffed disdainfully as the smell of singed fur filled the air.
"Okay okay! Jeez. What exactly is the problem?"
"I proposed a mating contract to your miko friend. Riches, respect and protection in exchange for heirs. Mixing our blood would produce uniquely powerful pups that would elevate our bloodline even higher, hanyo or not."
"And I'll just bet you asked her just like that, and she turned you down flat didn't she?"
When he said nothing in return, Inuyasha cackled again.
"Listen, Kagome is emotional and stubborn, if you wanna get anywhere with her…." He paused for a minute, and then a light filled his eyes that made Sesshomaru wary.
"If you wanna get anywhere with a girl like Kagome, you gotta be stern with her. A firm 'Oi wench!' And then laying down the law works every time."
Eyeing his younger brother for a moment, Sesshomaru considered his words. He'd only had minimal interaction with his brother's pack dynamics before they joined up to defeat Naraku, and then after that it was all planning and strategy. He knew about the subjugation necklace that only Kagome could use, but he'd only seen it in action a few times.
If his brother really had used such a tactic to get his way with the miko, there was no proof.
Without a word he turned and walked away, missing the sly, mischievous grin that spread across Inuyasha's face.
The sun was warm on her back, the breeze was cool on her face, and Sango's twins laughed and squealed as they splashed their hands in the water Kagome was washing dishes with Sango in. They chatted and gossiped, enjoying each other's company, keeping an eye on a snoozing Hisui nearby, and Kagome relished this free, uncomplicated time with her best girl friend.
'There is nothing better than this. Nothing could ruin this beautiful day, absolutely noth-'
"Oi! Wench!" hearing the crude, familiar nickname in the wrong voice, Kagome dropped the cup she'd been scrubbing back into the water and whipped around, starring agog at the demon staring her down with a glare.
"Sesshomaru-sama?! What-"
"You will be my Lady. You will bare my heir."
Her jaw dropped open, and she wondered for a moment if she wasn't possibly experiencing hallucinations from one too many trips through a time traveling well.
"I…. What on earth?!"
"This Sesshomaru has said that you will be his lady and bare his heirs. No come, we must be off."
"Now wait just a-"
"Sesshomaru-sama, may I have a word with you? alone?" Sango cut in, pushing in front of Kagome who's balled up fists had started glowing pink. She released her grip, shaking her hands out to relieve the pain of her fingernails biting her flesh, and turned back in a huff to supervise the children while Sango and that damned demon lord disappeared into the vegetable garden behind the hut.
Eyeing the slayer with a narrowed gaze, he waited for her to begin the conversation she wanted to have. If it was about the miko, he would Listen gladly.
"Um, I'm going to hazard a guess that the… interesting little display you put on out there was because of some advice from Inuyasha?"
He nodded, and her expression went flat.
"I see. And you didn't happen to ask my husband for advice, did you?"
He remained silent, but it was apparently answer enough. She slapped a hand to her forehead and muttered about stupid males no sense to speak of and he had to agree, his brother and the monk were worthless.
"Can you tell me what exactly it is you're trying to achieve? I think I'll be much better help than you've got so far."
He relayed his desires and the first disastrous attempts to achieve them and she rolled her eyes again.
"I have been attempting to "get to know" with her as that is what she claimed to require before mating, but she has not been amenable to any such attempts to "get to know."
"Oh Sesshomaru-sama. Kagome meant learning about each other. Talking with each other, spending time together, sharing things you like and dislike, seeing if you can even get along. Kagome wants a partner in life, a companion. Nothing so cold as you've offered her so far. You need to just try and speak with her a little. Build a friendship."
"Hn." He looked away, letting this new, much more helpful knowledge roll around in his brain. Then he nodded in thanks and walked silently away, the gentle laugh of the slayer following him out of the village.
The next day when he approached her she was alone, sitting in the middle of a sunny field and ripping grass from the ground. When she sensed his presence she turned on him with a harsh glare.
"If you've just come to boss me around again you can take a hike! I'm not in the mood!"
He sat primly next to her and noted that she was ripping leaves with much more force.
"I did not."
"Well then what-"
"I came to talk."
Her eyes darted around his face, searching for deception, a secret motive, a surprise attack, and he cringed internally. He'd most certainly set himself several paces back in her regard. And since her regard was what he needed to get what he wanted, that was a bad thing.
"Talk… about what?"
He blinked, staring at her for a touch too long, glancing about, scrambling for an answer. What had he come to talk about? Her, but he couldn't say it that way.
"What purpose do you have in tearing up this grass? Rin does such things with flowers, but these leaves do not look decorative."
"Um, it's not grass Sesshomaru-sama, it's herbs. I'm collecting them so Kaede and I can make medicines with them."
"Oh? Humans heal themselves with plants?"
"Yes. While nothing like yokai healing, our bodies can fix some of our injuries and illnesses, but there are lots of ways to speed the process up. This herb, for example, is good for helping ease fevers."
Looking into the little basket at her side he gingerly picked up a different shaped leaf between two claws and held it up.
"And this one?" He asked, finding himself at least a little genuinely curious. Yokai had no need for such treatments of leaves and grass since their bodies were so proficient at healing even very severe injuries and illnesses, this was a whole existence he'd never considered before.
As the miko detailed what healing attributes the herb, and several others in her basket possessed, he realized that it was an aspect of human existence he'd been wrong to overlook if he thought to keep a human as his wife.
The more she spoke, the more he listened, the more pleasant he thought her voice sounded.
A breeze drifted by and carried her scent to dance under his nose and he shocked himself to find that he liked it. Sweet, floral, light and pleasant, he realized he'd never taken the time to really scent her before, she who he aimed to make his own.
'Oh. I see. Getting to know. Hn.'
For the next few days he gave her a reprieve from his presence as he simply lurked in the shadows and watched her, endeavoring to learn more about her.
She was clumsy, constantly tripping and stumbling on everything and nothing, not a graceful bone in her body. Yet there was something pleasant in the way she moved.
She was modest, but not demure. She shied away from too many compliments, blushing and dismissive, but never skipped an opportunity to laugh or tell a story, and her smile lit up her whole face in its sincerity.
She was gentle, but fierce. Always kind and soft in her dealings with friends, children, the elderly, but fiery in her defenses when her loved ones were challenged or in danger.
Loyal, stubborn, forgiving, temperamental, and clearly wore her heart on her sleeve if he could learn so much from just a few days observation.
But learn he did, and he made several startling conclusions.
The first: he'd sold her short in trying to claim her for her power alone. She possessed many attributes that would make her a fine Lady to serve alongside him.
The second: he'd done her a disservice by presenting his offer to her as he had. He'd assumed she'd be pleased, as most females in his station would be, to be offered such a life of ease and luxury in exchange for a few children. That's just how things were done in his world. But the Miko Kagome was not passive, would languish being tucked away in a gilded corner to count her coins.
The last and perhaps most shocking conclusion: he wanted her. Simply for her.
He'd started out on this mission to make her fall for him, but the tables seemed to have turned on him.
'Developing a fondness for her was not in the plan, however, there are worse things than feeling affection for the woman you would tie yourself to for eternity.' He thought, a little disgruntled, and then he made his final move.
Stepping into the clearing she was simply laying back and enjoying some solitude in, Sesshomaru took in the sight of her, appreciating the way the sun made her glow.
She cracked one eye open in his direction, grinned ruefully, then closed her eye again.
"Finally ready to tell me why you've been stalking me these last few days?"
He pointedly ignored her accusation with a sniff.
"No. I have come to make a deal."
She sighed and sat up, stretching out her muscles to wake them back up, then stood and squarely met his eyes.
"More talk of heirs?"
"No."
"No?" He'd caught her by surprise. Just as well, as she'd been catching him by surprise for days. It felt nice to be on more even playing ground again. Time to take the upper hand.
"This Sesshomaru would request the honor of courting you, Miko Kagome."
She blinked. She blinked again. Her face turned a charming shade of red that matched her hakama, and then she gulped down a burgeoning set of nerves.
"C-court? What does that mean?"
"It means, Kagome, getting to know."
Her eyes widened, their very first conversation and the things she'd said to him coming back to her.
"You remember that?"
"Yes."
"Is that… what you've been trying to do these last few days?"
"Hn. I was given some… questionable advice."
She laughed, bright and sparkling, and he liked the sound so much he considered learning to tell a joke to hear it again.
"Hold on," she said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion, mirth and amusement still dancing around in her aura. "Is this just an elaborate trick to make me like you so I'll agree to marry you?"
"It was," he admitted boldly, plowing on ahead and giving her no chance to retort. "It started as a scheme to make you like me so that you would be more amendable to my proposal. I did not expect to develop affection for you in the process."
Another sweet blush and shy smile, and she thrust her hand out in one of her peculiar human gestures.
"Alright then Sesshomaru-Sama, you've got yourself a deal. Let's 'get to know' each other."
He closed his hand around hers and, for the first time in a long time, smiled widely, embracing the unexpected and excited for the future.